Overturned on 4-3 vote, opposition says proposal is not compatible with Olde Town character

Arvada City Council has overturned a controversial proposal to sell 9 acres in Olde Town to a developer for $30. The land is worth $6 million, according to a recent county assessment, and the planned sale was backed by the city’s Urban Renewal Authority.

Dallas-based developer Trammell Crow proposed in 2013 to build a six-story, 256-unit apartment complex on the site next to the long-awaited RTD Gold Line station on West 56th Avenue.

Details of negotiations between the Arvada Urban Renewal Authorityand Trammell Crow were announced and approved at an AURA public meeting in December 2015. But residents increasingly voiced their displeasure with the agreement over the last eight months, calling it a “sweetheart deal” that would result in a project incompatible with Olde Town’s character.

On a 4-3 vote, City Council rejected a preliminary development plan presented at a Jan. 22 public hearing. Council members John Marriott, Nancy Ford, Bob Fifer and David Jones opposed the plan, while council members Mark McGoff and Dot Miller joined Mayor Marc Williams in approving it.

The vote surprised some residents at the hearing, including Dave Chandler, who staunchly opposes what many are calling “the $30 land deal.” He is a founding member of the grassroots organization Arvada for All the People, which initiated a charter amendment opposing the project last summer, circulating petitions around the community.

“We always had a tough time getting people to understand. … People wanted to believe that the $30 had already been paid, and Trammel Crow owned the property,” Chandler said. “Part of the big communications effort was to help people understand that it wasn’t a done deal.”

The group abandoned its efforts after members learned that a similar community effort, initiated in opposition to a Walmart in Wheat Ridge, was deemed invalid in court. Regardless, said Chandler, the work generated a lot of public attention.

“When people found out, they thought it was outrageous,” Chandler said.

Urban Renewal Authority officials have argued that a bargain price was the only way to entice potential developers to undertake a project that they say could cost $70 million right off the bat. Developing the site, they say, requires excavation of a 35-foot-tall hill and working around a large sewer line that runs through the property. The only way to make a project financially feasible, AURA stated, was to offer the property at its “fair value,” considering the obligations of the developer.

But City Council didn’t reject the proposal based on finances, said at-large Councilman Bob Fifer. Money wasn’t discussed at the hearing, he said.

“The problem I had with it was compatibility with the rest of the community. I would have done a height exception if it had looked more aligned with Olde Town,” Fifer said.

Trammell Crow’s proposed project, officially titled Olde Town Residences, would stand 68 feet high at its tallest, almost double the city’s height limit.

“It would have destroyed the ‘grand view’ from Grandview Avenue forever,” Chandler said, a sentiment echoed by many others in the community.

Discussions on the subject at the Jan. 22 public hearing lasted about five hours, and in the end Fifer said he couldn’t imagine the apartment complex fitting in with the small-town charm of Olde Town’s architecture.

Parking is another concern for opponents on City Council. The complex was designed with 350 parking spaces for 256 units. While many residents might regularly use the G-Line, council members are concerned visitor parking will spill onto adjacent streets.

Still, Fifer said he will consider a new proposal by Trammell Crow if it adequately addresses City Council’s concerns.

Resident John Kilijan, a proponent of transit-oriented development who supports the project, strongly believes Trammell Crow will return with a proposal the city can support.

“I think the project will move forward. It really has to,” he said.

Kilijan said the developer is reputable and the positive aspects of the project outweigh any negative aspects. He doesn’t believe the building will destroy the view of the Front Range nor deter from Olde Town’s charm any more than the Water Tower Apartments or the recently added Hilton hotel and Harkins movie theater.

Kilijan is an administrator for a Facebook group called Arvada Town Hall. In a recent post he stated: “The ‘$30 giveaway to the rich’ argument is nonsense. The real issue is, do we want transit-oriented development (TOD) in Olde Town and at the other Gold Line stations? The alternative in Olde Town is yet another strip mall and cheaper three-story walk up apartments with a large amount of surface-area parking.”

On Jan. 23, AURA released a statement expressing disappointment with the vote.

“The Arvada Urban Renewal Authority’s board of commissioners, many of whom attended and testified at last night’s hearing, is disappointed with City Council’s decision to reject the PDP application for the Olde Town Residence project. AURA believes that Trammell Crow followed the direction and intent of the Arvada Transit Framework and the many years of guidance and input on how to best develop this parcel.”

What’s next? Trammell Crow can present a modified proposal or walk away from the project and leave the city back at Square One.

In a statement issued Feb. 4, Bill Mosher, senior managing director at Trammell Crow, said the company is discussing options for moving forward. He said Trammell Crow hopes to come to a decision within two weeks.

“We are working with our architects and engineers to evaluate the options that we have moving forward…” Mosher said. “It’s tricky because we have a lot of structure and retaining walls and water issues to deal with, so it’s not an easy response as to whether we can come back with a revised proposal…”

Initially, the project was tentatively scheduled to be built in phases from 2018 through 2020, but that timeline could change drastically depending on Trammell Crow’s next step.

“While I voted in favor of the project as presented, I recognize and accept the Council’s action, and pledge to continue to work with all parties as we move forward,” Mayor Williams said in an email. “If Trammel (sic) Crow wishes to modify their application, we will listen to them. If they chose not to move forward, we will see what the market wants to do.”